I am generally happy with my work, but I'm also my own worst critic (and I have some pretty mean critics). And I do have depression and anxiety problems, so there's that. But I do like my comic, I wouldn't be able to do it if I didn't like it.

I just wanted to say thank you for being 'out' about your anxiety and the struggles you have with it. I myself have anxiety and it can be a crushing blow to being productive or even getting out of bed some days.

What effect has it been on your work? Does it usually help or hinder the creative process or getting things done?

It's a hindrance, definitely. I can't imagine how feeling horrible would HELP someone get work done.

On the flipside, the comic helps with my anxiety. It's pretty much the only structured routine that I have, and when I'm drawing I can just focus on that instead of omgpeakoilglobalwarmingoccupywallstreetmichellebachmann

I just wanted to say thank you for pushing the story along. I've been waiting for something to happen to Marten for the past few months :P.

But in all serious, you have an amazing talent to write characters who feel real, and that is not an easy thing to do. I love the comic, and I'm a huge fan.

When it comes to these big story/plot points, do you plan these out weeks or months in advance? Or do you just write every day and realize a large story point is coming up by the seat of your pants?

Bonus question: Is there ever going to be some sort of resolution for Faye in terms of why her father did it? I guess the mystery makes me question a lot. Then again, I guess that's how life is sometimes, huh?

Also, draw request: Draw some QC girls in a 1950's pin-up style. Alternatively, you could use Pintsize :P

i've read daily for about 4 years now, and feel qualified to state that your comic has a peculiar addictive quality, not unlike hugs or meth. is this intentional, and if so, why have you forsaken the standardized warning label regarding habit-formation?

ALSO BUTTS

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k, real-ish question. in regards to the comic universe, you've mentioned that a relatively short time period has actually passed for the characters, somewhere in the realm of a year or so? hannelore's OCD seems to have significantly improved in startling fashion. was there a catalyst towards her "recovery" or am i just looking at details that don't exist?

I saw this on your twitter, so I feel like some sort of stalkerish super fan. I'll go along that vein and ask, how does it feel when people come up to you on the streets and geek out with "OMG That's Jeph Jacques!"?

I have rough plot points (Marten and Padma hooking up, etc) planned out, and I just sort of aim for those. But frequently the comic will go in a different direction than I was expecting, and those plot points will change. I guess you could say I have a longterm plan, but am improvising my way through it.

I'm not going to get into specifics, but I own a house in rural Massachusetts and support my wife and dog off of the comic.

I haven't seen anything but growth year to year thus far (and boy I hope that trend continues). Month to month, the summer is generally the slowest time for merchandise sales, and Christmas is the best.

And getting piercings done by a professional is one of the cleanest things you can do to your body.

Why did you decide then to make Momo a (semi)human character? As far as I can tell, she's now indistinguishable from a regular character. I felt that storyline was kinda jarring in terms of everything else that had been written, since before the robots had just been comic relief.

Also, if AnthroPCs can take human form, how do any of the characters have jobs? One would think that AnthroPCs would make much better workers than humans, especially at low-skill low-wage jobs such as working at a coffee shop.

Are there any storylines/decisions you've made about one of your characters that you wish you could rewrite? Either because you don't feel like it was the right way to go after seeing how it panned out, or because you had an even better idea for it later on.

I really like your comic and I've been following you for a long time. I always feel for you when someone is being a jackass on twitter. How much does it bother you when people go "OMFG QC used to be so much better!" or "WHERE IS RAVEN?!" or just generally feel like they should have a say in how the story goes?

I saw how upset you were on twitter and on your blog about the douchebag who told you to go back to drinking, I just wanna say that I respect you so much for the decision of going sober.

A good bit of the day is spent doing things like this- answering emails, talking with fans and colleagues, etc. Designing merchandise takes a lot of time, but that's generally in intermittent spurts- I'm not doing a lot of that right now because Topatoco is already geared up for Christmas.

I read a lot, and play guitar, and play videogames, and pet my dog, and try not to worry.

Everything is inspiration! Ideas come from all over the place. And since the comic is so continuity-based and character driven, it often sort of inspires itself. I can just let the characters hang out, and on a good day, something funny will happen.

It's still changing, but in more subtle ways. I'm working more on getting proportions and posing right instead of making radical changes to the way I draw faces. I can look at stuff I drew last month and see tons of differences between how I'm drawing this week.

I have to admit that I used to quite enjoy QC but a few months ago I got kind of tired of the seemingly constant inclusion of new permanent characters. It felt like it rather watered down the dynamic of the original characters. Is this a concern or a criticism you've run into before?